Thursday, November 27, 2014

Shades of green - levels of ecological action

While the terminology turns some people off, ecological sensitivity (what I simply call common sense) is labeled green. But there are shades of green.

At one end, we have green wash. This is what big corporations sometimes engage in when they want to appear to be doing something. Adds like that of Chevron that talk about energy mixes, when it is usually just more fossil fuels.

At the other end, deep green ecology can be anything from primitivism - the abandonment of industrial society (shame that's how lifesaving antibiotics are made) and post-agriculture, to sheer anti-humanism. We do have much to repent of, but talk of a virus to reduce our numbers is at the extreme end.

In between is quite a bit of activity. Light green includes all of those small things that are worth doing, but in of themselves won't solve the worlds problems. Meat free Monday, using the car less, ethical shopping and so on are all useful things, and entry level activities.

The calendar Greener by the day gives you some simple ideas to focus on, and start thinking about the whole problem of climate change. Founder, Rhonda Kimberly did an intensive I was part of on climate change at Tabor College. I'm impressed with her enthusiasm in turning her concern into action. Buy one, in fact, buy several.

Of course, radical action is needed to avert the worst of the scenarios of climate change, dark green action of divestment of fossil fuels, a reshaping of the economy and so on. We need to make some individual changes as well as systemic ones. All good forests have various shades of green.

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